


As the Scales Fall

by Caliginous_Confused



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: But its only mentioned, Hanzo is a merman, Happy Ending, Jesse is a hunter, Language Barrier, M/M, McHanzo Reverse Bang 2018, MermanAU, genji gets high off of pufferfish, like a dolphin, some recreational drug use, sort of arranged marriage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-29
Updated: 2018-08-29
Packaged: 2019-07-04 02:10:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 13,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15831606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caliginous_Confused/pseuds/Caliginous_Confused
Summary: There was one too many disappearances, they couldn't simply ignore this anymore. Jesse McCree had drawn the short straw this time around so now he was doing his best impression of a sailor and hoped to gain this mermaid's attention. It was supposed to be a simple job, get the disappearances to stop, not disappear himself. Though, as far as things go, it wasn't too bad.





	1. Chapter 1

The feel of the current against a merman’s skin felt wonderful. A nice cool stream of water against his stomach was wonderful. What made it better was the proximity to a ship, coasting behind it, or beside it took some of the strain off of his muscles and made it easier for him to try to get a glimpse of anyone on the deck.

The Merman rolled over on his back as he saw shadows of men walking over to the side of the ship and looked down in the water. Hanzo smirked to himself, knowing between the depth he was at and the color of his scales he would be near invisible to the naked eye. The speed helped him keep his hair from pooling around his face, thus blocking his vision. It also flowed with the water, enhancing the camouflage.

The human leaned casually against the side railing of the ship, looking across the deck before turning to look under the water. The merman raised an eyebrow in interest, this human was just his type. He looked rugged, his hair was just the shade of brown that Hanzo had found himself attracted to. The hair and messiness of it simply added to the attraction toward him. From what he saw, like all sailors, this one was well built, his skin was tanned from the time spent in the sun and hopefully he was a strong swimmer.

If they weren’t, they were simply too easy to catch, and there was no fun in that.

This human would be his.

He didn’t care what Genji said, a hunter would make the hunt even more exhilarating. He had already caused the humans to be wearier of the sea, adding a hunter to the mix would only make this even more challenging. He had to make sure not to lure them into the cave, because unlike the sailors who believe that being lured by a merperson was the best thing to happen, they knew the truth. They knew that luring sailors and fishers alike meant they were bored and wanted simply to hunt something more challenging. They wanted to reclaim their territory or simply cause hysteria.

This is what Hanzo was doing. He didn’t care of the meal he got from this hunt, or the rush. He loved watching the humans squirm, plead and beg for their husbands, wives, daughters, whoever was going to set out to sea.

It gave him power.

Hanzo Shimada, loved power.

Hanzo pumped his tail and swam away from the side of the ship, he had his prey now all he had to do was wait for him to return.

\---

Jesse McCree was sunburnt. He could just feel it. He might not be of a fair completion, but he still somehow managed to get sunburnt even when wearing his hat, he could feel it in his cheeks as he spoke, smiled, or moved his face in general. He was going to have to find some aloe, and in a port town like this, he could only hope that It was everywhere. Preferably, there would be a stall right next to the dock.

Mermaids were his least favorite thing to hunt, they had the upper hand in the terrain they fought in – the entire ocean – and even though he looked like he enjoyed the sun, he hated being out on the sea. The constant rocking of the boat left a bad taste in his mouth and a lurch in his stomach that never truly left until he was back on solid dry land.

Those two things made it horrible when he got back with nothing, no signs of the mermaid, no trail to even begin following, it left a bad taste in his mouth. Though, that also could be because of all the salt that was in the air as he took his smoke breaks. It somehow tainted him, and between the sea salt getting everywhere, and his mild sea sickness, he just wanted to get this hunt over with.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t. There was too much hysteria and worry surrounding this town about men who were disappearing soon after reaching the docks after a long day, and it was his duty to get rid of the monsters of the world, or something like that. His boss would have his hide if he didn’t come back with news that the mermaid wasn’t a problem anymore, and between sea sickness and the wrath of Reyes, McCree was going to take his chances with the sea.

Deciding to watch the waves for a little more before turning in for the night, McCree waved at the crew that he was hanging around with, letting them know that he’d see them all again bright and early to start a new day. He walked to the edge of the pier and pulled a cigarillo out from his pocket and lit it, trying not to grimace at the sting he felt on his cheeks as the sun shone in his face as it dipped below the horizon.

About five minutes after the crew left, McCree’s muscles tensed as he moved his right hand to grip his belt. A shadow, at least he thought what was a shadow, was seen slithering under the surface of the water. He pulled the cigarillo from his mouth and slowly exhaled the smoke as he watched with trained eye it moved through the water with ease.

The mass stopped in front of the pier McCree was standing on, the surface of the water bulged as the surface tried it hardest to contain whatever was under it. McCree saw features of the being that was under the surface. The hunter knew not to give this creature the upper hand, but at this point they were at a stand-off. It wasn’t coming up, and he wasn’t going down.

Jesse sighed as he knelt down and rested his hand on his knee, there was a hand on his pistol ready just in case. He just hoped that he had the quicker trigger finger. This he knew was unlikely because of the muscle needed to traverse through the water, but there had been no reports of the missing sailors simply dying where they had disappeared from.

The gun left it’s holster, and a shot rang out into the night, but it hit nothing.

Before McCree could comprehend what was going on he was pulled from the pier and was instantly submerged under the water. Bubbles escaped his throat as he let out an involuntary scream. He felt water invade his mouth and lungs, his diaphragm tensing ready to heave the water right back out to replace it with air.

Pressure then was the next thing he felt, straight onto the crown of his head. He felt his hair flatten against the side of his face and forehead. Strong arms encircled him, holding him in place, as if the current of the water around him wasn’t enough to keep him from struggling at whatever just pulled him into the water. He tried to force his eyes open, but he managed to crack them only slightly open before he was forces to shut them; the salt of the water burned.

Blind, helpless, and quickly running out of air reserves in his lungs, Jesse could only hope that the captor, who he was quickly deciding was the mermaid in question that was luring men to their dead, didn’t just do away with him. He wanted at least a fighting chance to get out of this.

The water changed temperatures as his consciousness started fading. He didn’t know what that entailed really, either he had gone deeper underwater and things were more dire than he thought, or they were in waters not commonly touched by the sun. Honestly, he wasn’t sure which he preferred.

His lungs were screaming, heart hammering in his chest, and muscles exhausted from how tense they were against the figure holding him against it’s chest. In his last moments of consciousness, he pressed his forehead against the solid figure and quickly found out his head was right in the valley between a _very_ well-defined set of pectorals.  

The last thing he thought before he passed out was: “There’s a strange lack of boobs on this mermaid.”


	2. Chapter 2

Consciousness hit McCree like a wall. His stomach and lungs emptied themselves of the water that had settled inside him as he was dragged through the water. He rolled over on his side as with each cough more salt water left his mouth. His clothes hung from his body, his hair was stuck on his forehead in a half-dried state. The salt making it heavy and lifeless.

After he figured he was done emptying his insides of the salt water, he rolled over and closed his eyes as he tried to regain his breath. He rested a hand on his stomach and ran a hand through his hair, rustling it so it didn’t lay lifeless against his head.

McCree was alive, that’s all that mattered.

“Fuck,” he whispered as he moved the hand from his hair to rest over his eyes. Training told time to assess where he was, and if he was injured in any way, see if anything of his was missing as he was being dragged through the seas. His body was too heavy to even think about moving at that moment.

A small splash startled McCree into a sitting position. His eyes were wide as he tried to find the source. As he did that, he quickly found out he was in a cave, one that seemed to have been formed by water due to the stalactites on the ceiling. A shadow roughly the shape of his body was cased along the wall, and turning around confirmed his suspicions, a way out.

Walking over to the mouth of the cave, he closed his eyes as the sun hit his face. A breeze passed through his hair as a spray of water hit his face. A frown formed on his face; more water. There was no water trail and with how wet he still was, he would expect there to be one, at least within the inside of the cave, so whatever took him – the mermaid…rather mer-person at this point – didn’t drag him in the cave through this opening. That meant his way of entrance was on the inside.

He slowly turned and walked back inside. There was a small puddle where he was laying, where he was dragged onto land from the water he was pulled through. There was, as expected, a small trail of water that stopped at a reflective, moving surface. McCree walked a few steps before kneeling down.

“Alright, ya can come on out, I ain’t gonna hurt’cha,” Jesse coaxed, his voice was confident, but not hard or threatening. He meant what he said. He wasn’t going to harm the mer-person until given a reason to.

There was no response. The only sound was the dripping of water from stalactites around him. If it wasn’t from the splash that got him to his feet, Jesse would’ve thought he was alone. He sighed and shook his head before he started to stand up. He walked toward the other entrance, might as well try to get dry while the sun was still out.

\---

Once the human had its back to him, Hanzo slowly peaked out from behind the rock. He tilted his head in curiosity, watching as the human took off some of the layers that in all honesty made it a little harder to drag him to this hidden cove.

He was different than the other humans he’d taken. For one, he was calm. He seemed to assess the situation rather than start panicking the second that he woke up. He instead looked around to see where he was, and if there was something that could be done. The cove they currently were in, as far as the merman knew there was no escape for him, but that didn’t mean others had tried.

The human didn’t seem hostile toward him either, his tone wasn’t exactly welcoming, but it wasn’t the same as all the other humans that had came through here. Maybe this one will stay longer than the other’s. He sure wouldn’t mind him sticking around, especially if the grip and struggle he put up while they swam here was any indication of his strength.

Needless to say, the merman was intrigued.

“Another human huh?” asked another mernan, leaning against the rock surface, resting his chin in his hand as he followed the other’s gaze. Where the first merman had long flowing hair and dark blue scales, this one had short hair, the top of it dyed green to match the scales that decorated his body and tail.

The first merman jumped and turned toward the new comer. “Genji?! What are you doing here?” the first one asked pulling Genji under the water. A smile spread across his mouth as he crossed his arms, tilting his head with an amused expression.

“What? A younger brother can’t check on his older brother? You’ve been gone for a few hours Hanzo, I wanted to look out for you, make sure you weren’t getting into too much trouble with your human collecting.” He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head toward where the human was. Hanzo looked toward the surface and inhaled.

“I am not human collecting.”

“Coulda fooled me. If that’s not what you’re doing, then what _are_ you doing?” Hanzo frowned and turned away, crossed his arms and pushing his hair out of his face. Genji hummed and nodded. “Uh-huh. Sure, just what I thought. Hanzo like humans, Hanzo likes humans.” Genji sang the accusation with a small shimmy.

“Shut up! You have no proof!”

“This is like the what, tenth human this month? Glad this one hasn’t tried to run away yet. Maybe you should try, oh I don’t know _talk_ to him. Man, if you want to get tail you have to go for it.”

“But he has no tail,” Hanzo said without missing a beat, one of the corners of his mouth turned up.

“You know what I mean. Geez, show him you’re not a threat, and…I dunno whatever humans find attractive.”

“There’s a language barrier, we don’t speak human.”

“Well…huh, yeah what do ya know, there is. I believe in you aniki you’ll figure something out. Until then, guess I am paying you back for all the times you covered my ass.” Genji winked and smiled as he started swimming off.

“This doesn’t even begin to cover it. Convince father to call off the wedding, and then we’ll talk.” Genji stopped and gave him a sad smile.

“You know as well as I do how that’ll go.”

“I know it’s just…” He paused and looked toward the surface.

“I know.” Hanzo felt a hand on his shoulder and turned back to Genji. “Look, even if this plan does work, that getting a human to fall in love with you will sway father, there’s other things to consider. Like, how will the two of you live together? He can’t breathe down here, and you can’t breathe up there.”

“We’ll figure it out. I have to talk to him first.” Genji hummed and patted Hanzo on the back before he swam off. Hanzo sighed and crossed his arms, leaning against the side of the rock that was the platform the human was standing on.

He looked up to start his inner monologue on how this plan was stupid, or how there was little chance of it succeeding, normal self-loathing thoughts for the merman, but instead of the glassy surface showing him the ceiling, it was showing him a very distorted image of the human.

Hanzo jumped and pushed himself off of the rock, his muscles tensed in case he needed to run. He heard something from the surface, a warm tenor from the human as he held his hands up and took a step away from the edge. Hanzo narrowed his eyes and looked at the exit behind him before looking up.

There was no fear in the human’s eyes, only wonder.

Whoever this human was, he was different. Hanzo turned once more behind him in consideration on what he should do. A part of him wanted to stay and try to talk with him, but he couldn’t stay away for too long unless he wanted his family to be suspicious on what he was doing.

Hanzo looked up once more in what he hoped to have been an apologetic look before he swam off. He would try to steal himself away later.


	3. Chapter 3

 Reyes was going to have his hide. He was supposed to find the merperson that was kidnapping men, not be one of their kidnapped victims. He had no idea where he was, and if he would be able to get food easily. Getting fish would be the easiest, but to ensure it was safe he’d have to cook it. Another concern was drinking water. Everything around him reeked of salt.

He rolled his head to the side, looking at the opening to the cave he was in. He could try to climb the side of the cliff to see what was on the island, but if he fell the fall would be rough and if he fell wrong there was no guarantee that he’d come up, and he didn’t want to risk dying, even if not doing so would be a risk in of itself. At least within this cave, he knew that at least someone was around watching him, or at the very least wasn’t going to eat him due to the fact he was brought to this cave and not kept underwater to drown.

Another thing that McCree had to consider, was if he was even going to be kept alive. For all he knew he was brought here to be a meal, or heck even a sex slave. He wasn't going to judge, he had no room to at this point. His main goal was to survive _to_ get chewed out by Reyes, and finding out how to do that, was going to start with the necessities. Shelter was covered from the cave. So, food and potable water, and heat. He was hoping that he wouldn't get hypothermia from not having a fire handy.

The sun was setting, he had to make a decision soon. Go, leave the cave and see if he can get firewood, potable water, or food, or stay and hope that his merperson captor comes to greet him finally. It had been almost an entire day, if he was going to be visited, it would've happened already, right?

Jesse sat up, and turned toward the pool and paused.

Looking back at him were dark blue eyes that had no white to them. Scales decorated the being's face, and he had long flowing hair that was still splayed out around him like ink. Once the two of them locked eyes the being ducked further under the water, only his eyes really poking out.

Jesse reached up to tip his hat and paused, realizing it was gone. He sighed and slowly lowered his hand. "Howdy," Jesse said quietly. The merman's expression became contorted in confusion. "Shoot, 'course ya can't understand me."

Weird, song-like noises came from the being as he took on a similar quiet gentle tone that Jesse was trying to use when communicating. Jesse blinked a few times, easily seeing how people can easily been mesmerized by their voices. Now, wasn’t the time that was supposed to get mesmerized by his song. He had to figure out how to get food.

Jesse knelt down and rested his right hand on his knee. He decided to at least try to start the foundations of at the very least trust. “Jesse,” he said slowly putting his hand on his chest. The merman stopped and looked up at the hunter with a tilt of his head. Jesse repeated his name and tapped his chest a few times, hoping that the merman would catch on.

“Jes-se,” the merman slowly responded, narrowing his eyes. Jesse smiled, nod and repeated the gesture. He slowly relaxed, as if finally understanding what Jesse was trying to say. He pushed himself up from the water slightly and put his hand on his chest, just as Jesse did. “Hanzo.”

“Hanzo,” Jesse repeated earning a frown from the merman who turned his top lip up in disgust at Jesse’s pronunciations. Jesse laughed a little and stood up and slowly moved closer toward Hanzo who paused watching him. Jesse held out his hands, palm down hopefully to reassure him that he wasn’t going to hurt him. This language was going to be the death of him. Especially if he couldn’t figure out how to ask the key questions, where he was, if there was a way to get food, and why was he here. The last one was going to be the hardest to ask, but if he got the first two he’d call that a success. He looked around and trying to find something that he could use. If worst comes to worst, he could always grab a rock and scratch some drawings or something into the rocks to try to convey his needs.

“Jesse,” he heard Hanzo call. He stopped looked and turned toward him with a raised eyebrow. Hanzo started talking, and then almost immediately stopped, frowning and furrowing his brow realizing the same thing as Jesse. He growled slightly and rested his arms on the side of the pool he was in, thinking. Jesse watch as sand shifted under him and immediately sat up.

“Hanzo,” the merman perked up. Jesse paused and cursed under his breath. Taking a hesitant step forward, Jesse locked eyes with the merman. Hanzo tensed seeing the human move toward him, not knowing whether or not he should stand his ground, or play it safe and swim back so the human couldn't hurt him is that was his intention. The tone of voice the human used to say his name suggested that he wasn't going to harm him, but instinct and living around humans long enough taught him to always side with caution.

Another step.

Hanzo let instinct take over, staying above the water, but swimming back so he couldn't reach him if that was what his plan was as the human moved toward him slowly, taking things one step at a time, watching the merman's body language whenever he move toward him, he would wait for Hanzo to relax before taking another step.

Eventually Jesse knelt down at the pools edge and started scratching into the sand. Hanzo tilted his head and narrowed his eyes, unsure what he was doing. His attention seemed to be divided enough to where of he did try to swim toward him, there was a good chance that he wouldn't notice him. Still, there was something about this human that was different than the others. Caution was the easiest and probably the best option for the situation until he was certain about what was going to happen if he got closer.

Jesse nodded and smiled to himself before looking back at Hanzo. The merman looked at the ground and looked up at him, not moving. Seeming to get the merman's hesitation, Jesse held his hands up in mock surrender, stood up, took a few steps back, and knelt down again before deciding to simply sit down, crossing his legs. Hanzo took the opportunity to go back to the edge of the pool and look at what Jesse had scratched into the sand.

Blinking in amazement, there were a few scratches of what appeared to be pictures. The first one that caught his eye were shapes that seemed to be the islands around the area. Was he asking where he was? He narrowed his eyes and looked up at Jesse who seemed to be disinterested in what Hanzo was looking at. Either way, he took his hand out of the water and circled the island they were on, drawing the island from the side next to it.

The next drawing showed what appeared was supposed to be Jesse, and a frowning face. Was he sad? Then under it, was a fish, and something Hanzo knew humans used to keep warm, and put fish and other things on. There was also squiggles on the sand next to it. Were those supposed to be waves? Then, underneath all of that was a happy face. Hanzo looked up at Jesse, brow furrowed.

"Jesse," he called. The human jumped and looked over at him as the merman pointed at the sand. Jesse looked at him and then slowly scooted over there. The first thing that Hanzo brought attention to was the item he was familiar with, but didn't know what it was. Jesse pressed his lips together as he drew a tree, and a stick pointing to the tree, and a leaf. He needed supplies.

Hanzo's eyes widened as he understood Jesse was trying to tell him how to ensure that he was taken care of. Hanzo looked at him, looked at the sand and pointed to the island, circling more accurately where they were. They were on the side of the cave, near the water. What Jesse needed was near the shore on the otherside. He looked at Jesse and draw a line from the tree to the island.

This caused Jesse to scrunch up his lips into a pout, not liking the situation at all. The supplies he needed was on the other side of the island, which only Hanzo could get to, but the stuff was on land, which only he could get to. There had to be a compromise, and not only that but if they were to swim over there, the wood and leaves would get soaked, which in turn would make them useless until they dried off, and with the sun setting he needed to make a decision fast.

Jesse looked at the mouth of the cave that he was using to tell the position of the sun. He ran his hand over the drawings of him showing Hanzo what he needed to survive and started drawing a new image. He drew a rendition of the cave they were in, and crudely drawn figured meaning to be him and Hanzo. He then showed him that he would like to go to the other side of the island, gather supplies, and return. He looked at Hanzo and hoped that his eyes showed enough urgency to say that this wasn't optional. He was really needing to do this.

Hanzo seemed to bite the inside of his lip, thinking about the best course of action. Turning his request down was almost a non-option. He looked at Jesse with sad eyes. The biggest concern he had was that he would go into the trees where he couldn't follow, and then he wouldn't come back.

Just like the first human he captured.

Hanzo looked at the water, away from Jesse's sad eyes. He couldn't trust him, but he knew from the second human, when they eat raw fish they get sick. Jesse already has shown Hanzo that he was different. He actually tried to communicate with him in a way no others had and made sure he was comfortable before advancing toward him. Still, he couldn't be sure.

He had to decide quickly though, the third died after a few days. Hanzo wasn't sure what determined his death, but he wasn't about to go and take chances. He had seen what Jesse needed in order to survive, now it was on him to determine whether or not he was going to give it to him.

The human seemed to recognize this, as he was busy thinking he had drawn something in the sand. The scribbles seemed to convey he'd be quick, back before the sun set. Deciding to take a chance Hanzo took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and nodded.


	4. Chapter 4

The human - no Jesse - was acting strange now that he was out of the cave. He spent the first few moments standing with his arms out, smiling as he just stood out in the sun. Hanzo tilted his head and watched him as a smile spread across the human's face. Jesse turned toward him and said something in the strange language he used before kneeling down to draw something in the sand; a list of materials, and what time he expected to return to the beach. There was also a drawing of what Hanzo suspected was him swimming with fishes, and though he was amused at how cute the drawing was, he responded with his own scrawling showing Jesse that he intended to stay where he was. This brought a small frown onto the human's face before he stood up, either now knowing how to say what he wanted to, or deciding that he wasn't going to fight with the merman, Hanzo wasn't sure. Regardless be pointed to the picture showing where the sun should be relative to the island when he returned and trotted off into the forest.

Hanzo smiled a little as he watched the human run off. For once maybe Genji had a good point on how to assert that he was his own being to their father. Hanzo had always admired the human's freedom, able to go where ever hey wanted, be it land or sea. From what he saw there was no where in the human's domain they couldn't go. There were too many trenches and caves for the merpeople to lay claim to them like the humans did their land. Not to mention there are also predators that they had to outsmart.

Though, him capturing these humans in an attempt to get to know them, and possibly court them had it's drawbacks. The first one being that they didn't appreciate being captured, and either they would be scared, or they would be angry. Jesse was different, he was more curious. He wasn't surprised when he saw Hanzo, and was actually curious about him. He made sure that Hanzo was okay with his advances before making them. This made him all the more curious on who this "Jesse" human was.

Genji would be his go-to on how to approach his curiosities. The younger brother hung out with more humans, and getting to know one was his idea to begin with. Granted he was also upfront in saying that he didn't mean to go about it in the way Hanzo had, but he was helpful nonetheless when he came to him with questions.

Hanzo looked at the diagram of the island with Jesse's scheduled return and then looked at the sun. He had time to go find his brother and ask him his questions. Though, it was risky as the younger Shimada was also just as likely to want to come meet Jesse all the same. Hanzo grumbled as he went under the water. He had nothing better to do.

He pushed himself up and scratched into the sand that he was gone to see Genji, providing a crude drawing of him before turning around and swimming off to the underwater reef he knew Genji liked to frequent.

"Ahh brother! How's the human?" Genji asked pushing himself up and away from the mermaids, passing the pufferfish they were using to get high to another mermaid. He swung an arm up and around his brother's shoulders. He loathed to deal with the green-scaled merman while he was partying, but he had already been called out, he might as well share what he knew and hoped Genji was still sober enough to be some help to him.

"Confusing. He wasn't scared...or nervous. He was more concerned of my comfort. He calls himself 'Jesse'." Genji paused and tilted his head, sharing Hanzo's confusion on the subject of the human's behavior. "He also wasn't concerned on leaving, more he was trying to make sure he was able to survive. He is gathering supplies." Genji nodded and stared at the coral under them in thought.

"That is strange. How are you two even talking? You don't speak human, and I've never heard a human speak our language."

"We're drawing what we can in the sand." Hanzo dipped his head in embarrassment. "It was the human's idea. It is working surprisingly well. Though he told me his name by pointing to himself and saying the same thing over a few times until I figured that's what he meant." Genji nodded.

"I don't know what to tell you. No offense Hanzo, but you aren't the best when it comes to reading others. Do you think it would be okay for me to meet him?"

"Now while you're high on pufferfish toxin like some bored dolphin." Genji chuckled and shook his head, gently patting his brother's shoulder. He opened his mouth to defend his drug use, saying it wasn't a lot he had but his brother beat him into getting the first word. "Though with the list the human made, I would appreciate the help getting his supplies to the cave."

"Genji, at your service!"

\---

Jesse hummed as he drank coconut water from a freshly opened coconut. He was happy that the merman left, it not only gave him time to think but also enforced some boundaries. He knew any relationship he formed with the merman was going to be a little unhealthy, with the whole kidnapping thing and all, but he was going to try to remain hospitable and try to keep his emotions from this as well. He was a hunter afterall.

He knew that if Reyes came to find him, which was likely as he had no way to check in with him, it'd be a very tense situation and there'd be a need for Jesse to figure out how to communicate quickly with the merman.

Still, he was curious as to _why_ he was taking human men to this cave. He looked toward the sea and hummed. Technically finding out would be his job. That's all he needed to say to justify his actions to Reyes. The question was, would his commander believe him, and would he let that be a good answer as to why he disappeared.

"Jesse!"

The hunter jumped and finished his coconut water before getting up with a grunt and walked toward the beach, wading in to where both he and Hanzo would be comfortable. He paused seeing another merman with him, this one had a wide smirk and looked toward Hanzo with a raised eyebrow. He said something in a teasing tone which caused Hanzo to get some color in his cheeks, and then turn sharply toward him and start talking to him quickly which in turn caused the new merperson to laugh.

Siblings.

Jesse sat down and just let them bicker for a second, amused by their dynamic. He quickly found out that Hanzo was probably the older sibling, only the wrath of a younger sibling could work up someone like the newcommer was doing to Hanzo. After a while he decided to spare Hanzo humiliation and simply clear his throat. Hanzo jumped and looked at Jesse. He paused and then looked at the newcommer.

"Genji," he said pointing toward him. Genji bowed his head in greeting. Hanzo then turned toward Jesse, and pointed toward him. "Jesse."

"Heya," Jesse said moving to tip his hat, once again forgetting he didn't have it. Genji chuckled and mirrored the movement. Jesse smirked and turned toward the things that he needed to bring back to the cave. He moved and started drawing in the sand, showing that it'd be easier for Hanzo and Genji to take back the supplies while Jesse swam to the cave himself.

The brothers looked at one another and raised an eyebrow. Jesse hummed and stood up, walking deeper into the ocean, gesturing for them to follow. They did, and he simply showed them how slow of a swimmer he was compared to them. Genji laughed as he lazily swam under him and showed him a better way to move his hands. He turned toward Hanzo and said something which caused him to smirk and shake his head.

Jesse paused and tread water and looked at them, eyebrows raised in question of whether or not they'd go along with his plan. They nodded and pointed toward the entrance together and watched as Jesse slowly swam in it's direction. He wasn't a bad swimmer, but he sure felt like it when compared to these two men.


	5. Chapter 5

hunting, gently introducing the idea to Hanzo that is who he was. The merman seemed comfortable with what Jesse did, in fact he didn’t question it.

When the conversations slowed, they simply enjoyed one’s presence. Sometimes it turned into them attempting to learn each other’s language, others it turned into Hanzo pulling Jesse into the water and the two of them would splash and play around until Genji popped up to take Hanzo away. That was always sad. Hanzo would look at Jesse with a sad expression, squeeze his arm before disappearing into the water. Jesse would always wave him off and give him a sad smile.  

They both wondered why this arrangement had happened. There were days where Jesse started to draw an explanation on why he made himself so easy to catch, and why he wasn’t scared or worried about getting back. He knew by now Reyes was probably back on the mainland tracking Jesse’s activity down and he was on borrowed time at this point. He was nowhere closer to figuring out what Hanzo was doing. There was a chance that he could save him and Jesse was going to find it.

He was sitting on the edge of the cave, toward the ocean. His leg was hanging down, his toes barely touching the water’s surface as a gentle surf provided the calming atmosphere. Figuring out how to tell Hanzo what needed to be said weighed on him. The past few days were interesting. Hanzo was quickly becoming to be someone that Jesse would miss. He was becoming someone that he wanted to see often.

Their conversations were about nothing and anything. Despite the language barrier, they were easily able to keep the conversation going most of the time. It was easy to get Hanzo to smile, and he was able to do the same. He found himself more and more curious about the merman and wanted to know more about him. Jesse found himself wanting to follow him when he left, knowing he probably wouldn’t make it to where he was going, still, he felt like the litter mermaid wanting to know more about Hanzo, easily looking past what he was doing. He knew that his motives lied under the water.

He turned back toward the inside of the cave, easily meeting Hanzo’s eyes. The merman lifted his head from where it was scratching into the sand that they used to communicate. He turned his head away from Jesse for a second, thinking before he looked back at his drawings. His hand fell back and he dipped lower into the water to where only his eyes peaked out. There was no emotion that Jesse could see.  He slowly moved over and knelt by the pool and looked at the small scratches that were in the sand.

Hanzo wanted Jesse to lean forward into the pool.  If this was earlier, Jesse wouldn’t trust him in the slightest and would be suspicious that he was going to drown by trusting him. Jesse did as he requested and Hanzo frowned and covered his eyes with his hand and then the frown turned into a pout. Jesse chuckled and closed his eyes.

The sounds of Hanzo moving in the small pool was heard. His warm presence was felt right in front of him, the smell of salt hitting his nose. Jesse could easily picture the well-toned chest in front of his face, the urge to caress them and lavish them with tender kisses is where his mind took him. He didn’t know how the merman would take the advancement, the last thing he wanted to do was scare him off after he had spent time and effort to get to know him.

Something slipped over Jesse’s head causing him to jerk in surprise. A calming chirp was heard from Hanzo as he gently ran his hands down Jesse’s arms and slowly backed off into the water. Jesse slowly opened his eyes and his lips parted trying to find words to explain how touched and surprised he was.

A necklace made out of shells and other treasures from the water hung around his neck. Each shell sparkling in the cave, as Hanzo watched him while also trying to hide his face. He was bashful the gesture, but Jesse wasn’t leaving, and his face seemed more pink than usual so that meant the gesture went well, at least in Hanzo’s book. He just knelt there, looking at Hanzo.  

Hanzo decided to take a bold move and push himself up and held Jesse in place as he pressed his forehead against Jesse’s. He tensed but didn’t move. Jesse looked at Hanzo’s lips and then looked up into his eyes. Their breath mixed together, Jesse heard nothing but his heart beat.

They both had words brimming on their tongue dying to get out. Jesse had his story on why he was there, and Hanzo his motives. They both looked at each other with a gaze that was apologetic, telling the other through their gaze that there was so much that they wanted to share, but couldn’t. There were just some things that scratches in the sand couldn’t convey.

Jesse moved to get into the water, dipping just below the surface with Hanzo following him curiously. Jesse slowly ran down Hanzo’s arm as their foreheads ghosted against each other again. Hanzo reached up and put his hand on Jesse’s cheek. Once they floated like that for a moment Hanzo pushed them up, so Jesse could breathe.

Jesse slowly leaned in, Hanzo going to meet him. Just before their lips touched Genji popped up, scaring the both of them, and apologetically looked at Hanzo. The two broke up, both flushed with embarrassment. Genji chuckled, crossed his arms and gestured toward Jesse, saying something in their language. Hanzo looked at Jesse with sad eyes and sighed, gently caressing his face, saying something to respond to his brother. Jesse simply floated in the water as Hanzo spoke.

“Genji there are things that our silly scribbles in the dirt can’t convey. Sure, we’ve gotten pretty good at reading the other, and reading the other’s intentions. We both have something that we’ve been wanting to tell one another. For me, it’s father. Him, I don’t know. I want to say it has to do with circumstances that lead him here, but how do you convey that with small scratches in the sand?”

Genji nodded as Hanzo turned toward him, pressing his lips together.

“The scouts have seen men on the sea. According to them, they’re hunters. Father wants us to return before the sun sets. He is worried we will be found, and you know how he gets.” Hanzo nodded in agreement and bid Jesse farewell.

Once they were under the water, Genji shifted a little nervously as they swam back to their castle. “One more thing Hanzo. I decided to do a little poking near where the hunters were. They mentioned Jesse.”

Hanzo stopped and looked at Genji with fear in his eyes. Was Jesse a hunter?


	6. Chapter 6

The sea was calm. The water crashed against the side of the cave not as rough as it normally was for the afternoon. Jesse was standing at the mouth, looking out. Something about today just felt wrong, and he couldn't put his finger on it. Maybe the paradise he was getting used to, was finally over.

He was still thinking about Hanzo, and what almost happened the other day, and he found himself hesitant to bring it up. The merman wasn't coming by as often as he had been, he said that it had to do with something under the surface, but Jesse knew that he wasn't getting the whole story. Still, knowing that he was in no better position to judge - his entire purpose was to stop Hanzo afterall - he simply let it go. He would be lying to himself if he didn't admit that he missed him. Genji had tried to visit him and keep him company, but it wasn't nearly as welcoming or nice as when Hanzo came to visit.

Whenever he could, he'd scribble something in the sand for whoever came by to see him when it was time to eat, and he was keeping an eye out on the sea. What weapons he had on him were close. It wasn't much, just a small knife and a ruined pistol. All the salt from his initial dive ruined some of the smaller mechanisms and he needed to sit down and clean it out, but he had no tools to do so.

A splash was heard behind him, and a wide-eyed Genji looked at him. Jesse immediately rushed in and knelt down as the merman was muttering to himself as he scratched into the sand. Whatever he was trying to scratch into the same wasn't what he needed to convey. After he growled and slammed his fists into the sand he looked at Jesse with what seemed to be desperation.

He pushed himself off the side and held out his hand. The merman's green eyes seemed to say a mixture of "Trust me" and "I don't have time to explain, but you're my last option."

Jesse nodded and grabbed Genji's hand. He took a deep breath as he was pulled underwater. There was a brief pause before the pressure of the current was felt on his head. There was a pause for Jesse to get more air at one point but they were moving so fast he was more focused on not breathing in as they moved forward.

Immediately, the thought something being very wrong popped into Jesse's head. From what he knew of the merpeople and how hesitant they were to share information with him, they were people who depended on one another and very rarely let people in. The fact that Genji had gone as far as to retrieve Jesse from a spot where he was supposed to remain hidden was a big move, and one Genji was not happy to have to resort to.

Eventually the two of them surfaced for what was hopefully the last time, Jesse was pointed into a coast and he walked to the beach, gathering his breath before he looked around.

"So, this is how you decided to 'deal' with the merman issue? This wasn't a vacation McCree," said an oh too familiar voice. Jesse's blood ran cold as he looked up at his old commander. "And just when I thought that pathetic excuse you called facial hair couldn't get any more disheveled." There was a teasing pull as Jesse scrambled to his feet.

"Step off Reyes, where is he?" he asked pushing Reyes off of him. He raised his chin for a daring moment before he noticed what was behind the commander. Not only a few more men from Blackwatch, but a fishtank that held a very uncomfortable creature. Hands were pressed against the glass as it fruitlessly tried to pound its way free, black ink-like hair swirled around it. It opened his eyes and paused, immediately seeing someone he recognized.

"Jesse!" was just heard over the muffle of the water.

"Hanzo," Jesse responded as he tried to push past Reyes. The hunter put his arm across his chest and pushed him back. Jesse growled as he chuckled.

"So you _did_ find him. Jesse, why didn't you do anything?" Jesse looked at Reyes and showed his teeth.

"Because there's somethin' we don't know here. I knew that from day 1. He got me alright? I took the anti-charm shit so don't even goo there. He is...fuck I don't know." He looked at Hanzo once again, his angered expression melting as he looked back at him. "Just...get me somethin' so we can actually talk." He pushed past Reyes once again and put his hand on the glass of the tank.

Hanzo's eyes gave nothing as to how he was found. All he knew was that Genji knew to come get him. Jesse turned to look at him, finding angered eyes glaring at him, blaming him for their current situation. He needed to get a hold of...someone.

Who would give him a chance to even try to clear his name, or work out some deal with him? Reyes was totally against trying to talk to the merman. That much was clear. Angela thought of herself way above the "monsters" of the living plane. Amari was a shot in the dark, and with no bullets left in his chamber he might as well see if the alchemist could whip up something that could be used to talk to Hanzo. The problem there was, he needed to buy time from Reyes so he could have this opportunity. Fortunately, that was easier to do than it seemed. The hunter was predictable, and Jesse knew just what buttons he had to push in order to get at least a little time.

"Give me two days," Jesse said hoping that his expression to Hanzo conveyed his desperate request to trust him. "Let me have 48 hours to talk to him. I'll take on whatever meaningless, or pain in the ass talk ya want." He looked at Reyes who simply raised an eyebrow as he crossed his arms.

"Fine. We have a job involving a goop monster down south. Think you're up for it?" Jesse inhaled and shrugged.

"Guess I am now."

"That's what I like to hear."

Reyes wasn't a bad guy, he just had strong beliefs. He heard from a witch that he was destined to become one of the most fearsome monster that would walk the Earth. A personification of darkness. As a result, he was doing what he could to remain as distant from that as he could. That turned him into the overconfident person he was, doing everything he did in the name of good. Jesse was doing his part in trying to keep Reyes on the right path, but the fact that Reyes saw him as incompetent at times didn't exactly help him on this goal.

Jesse nodded and bit the inside of his lip. He really wanted to get a message to Genji before they left. There might be a way. A cliche message in a bottle might work. The relationship between him and the younger merman was tense, and with whatever community the boys were from were going to be thrown out of balance due to a member missing. He assumed by how the brothers acted, that if one of them were missing, it would be a big deal. This was about to prove or disprove that.

The goal was simple at this point. He didn't really care on what the brothers thought of him after all of this was through with, all he knew was that he needed to see Ana Amari and get Hanzo back into the sea as soon as possible. There was no time for messy sketches, he needed to speak to him with a mutual language finally.

He just had to hope that Ana's solution wasn't going to be permanent.


	7. Chapter 7

Hanzo had settled at the bottom of the tank. His arms were crossed, face set into a deep frown. The artificial current and gentle hum of the water filter was slowly giving him a headache, but he knew that in stagnant water he was going to be in even worse shape than he already was in. The tank was cramped, and he got no where near enough food to sustain himself.

Jesse was no where to be seen, which was good. He was a fool to trust him, or to ever think that he could give him the freedom he wanted. He was foolish to even think that falling in love with a human and defying his father would ever end in a happy ending. What was this? A story he told the children?

There was only one way he was leaving this situation. Dead. Hunters were almost ruthless and the fact that there was no way for him to explain himself, as if they would have sympathy for him, made things even more difficult. He no longer had the home advantage, he was completely and utterly in their mercy.

The door opened as Hanzo let his head simply fall toward it to see who was going to be bothering him this time. The bearded individual from earlier was by far his least favorite, and he seemed to know it. His voice was confident, and his body language supported it. He completely understood Hanzo’s situation and didn’t seem afraid to dangle it in front of him. What he wouldn’t give to take a chunk out of his face, or show him what kind of power came with being an aquatic humanoid.

He didn’t walk in however. The footsteps were hesitant, and the door was moved slowly as the individual looked outside for as long as he possibly could before closing it without a sound. He turned toward the tank and Hanzo’s lips twitched as he turned away from the room. He heard the person walk toward the tank, not even bothering to acknowledge him.

He heard a muffled “Hanzo…” from the other side of the glass. The voice wasn’t demanding which was new for the environment he had found himself in. Unlike the others, he was addressed by his name. It was said with an almost pleading sound for him to turn and look at him. Hanzo wasn’t about to give him that pleasure. He hadn’t _earned_ his attention at this point.

There was a small thud that Hanzo would admit had him curious. He had to stop himself from turning to look at him. He settled for simply moving his head slightly, so he could hear what he was doing better. There was a lot of shuffling, crinkling of what seemed to be paper.

Then, the smell hit him.

Fish, but not just any fish. Tuna was for sure one of them. His stomach rumbled, and he knew he had to acknowledge him now. Hanzo slowly turned toward Jesse, his face showing that he wasn’t the most pleased with the person on the other side of the glass, his eyes on nothing but the fish.

He instantly recognized the fish as the types he had caught for Jesse while they were in the cave. Though they weren’t his personal favorite things to eat, he understood why Jesse has specifically chosen these to feed him. He made no move toward the surface or the food, he simply looked at Jesse and then gave it a pointed look.

The one who betrayed his feelings simply dipped his head, seemingly understanding that he was trying to convey and moved to the ladder on the opposite side of the tank. Hanzo made no move to meet him halfway, planning on letting the dead fish do whatever it did, probably float, and then take it and stomach it down once Jesse left.

It was an old catch, Hanzo could tell by just looking at it. It might’ve been caught that day, but it wasn’t nearly as good as eating a fish that was just caught. The thrill of the hunt wasn’t there, nor was his pride. He wasn’t a pet. This was degrading.

Jesse watched as Hanzo swam up, his tail not even leaving the bottom of the tank as he pulled it down to eat. Watching him was heart breaking, this was not a place for him. Jesse knew it. Ultimately, he wanted to get him out of here, back to the ocean. The trust that was broken between them wasn’t his concern.

He wanted to tell him that is what he was wanting to do, maybe get Genji in on it. That would cause a distraction. Of course, he needed him to help as well and that wasn’t going to happen. If anything, the younger merman was unhappier with him than Hanzo was. So that threw that plan out of the water.

He pressed his hand against the glass as Hanzo simply glared at him, his lip twitching to show Jesse his sharp teeth. Jesse held up his hands and took a step back, respecting the merman’s space, what little there was of it. Jesse waited until Hanzo seemed to be engrossed in eating before climbing back to the top of the tank, intending to return something he felt wasn’t his anymore.

As he was lowering his hand into the water, he was pulled under and pinned against the glass. He gasped which was the last thing he needed to do. He started coughing which only pulled more water into his lungs. Sharp claws cupped his chin, putting enough pressure on his throat for Jesse to force himself to stop struggling and look at the dark intent in the man’s eyes.

Even in this position Hanzo was gorgeous. His hair flowed around him like ink, his scales were shining off the lights in a way that were breathtaking. The aura he gave off was powerful and as much as Jesse hated to admit it, he was a little turned on by the aggressive display.

The shell necklace stopped everything. It floated between them, Hanzo letting Jesse go to catch it before it fell to far below them. Jesse immediately pulled himself up coughing the water out of his lungs as he leaned against the side. Never had air felt so good and yet so painful entering his lungs.

It took almost a full minute before he turned and looked at Hanzo under the water. He was simply holding the shells in his hand, gently rubbing one of his thumbs over it and seemed to be muttering to himself. His cheeks seemed to be a little darker than they were a few moments ago, but Jesse put the blame on that change on the refraction of the water skewing what he perceived.

The merman looked at Jesse as he pulled himself out of the water, leaving a giant puddle on the platform what was used to access the tank and, on the floor, below. Unlike when Jesse was pulled in, his eyes held no aggressiveness or fire. Instead, they were confused and thoughtful. Almost vulnerable.

What did that necklace mean?

Pressing his lips together, Jesse knew that he should leave Hanzo some time to think. He tipped his soaked hat toward Hanzo and left.


	8. Chapter 8

Waves made the small dingy Jesse was on rock within the water. As far as days went, the sea was calm, there was no clouds in the sky the breeze was refreshing rather than overbearing. The salt wasn’t stinging but was definitely present.

All he had to do was wait. Eventually what he was wanting to happen would.

Hanzo had him thinking, the reaction he had toward the necklace made him want to ask. He knew that Hanzo wasn’t going to answer the question of what it meant, but maybe Genji would. He knew that he was unhappy with him, but hopefully asking about Hanzo would get him to understand that Jesse was trying to help.

He held onto a sheet of paper, hoping that he would be able to give it to Genji before the image got too smudged to be understandable. He really needed to take art lessons, or learn how to communicate with them without relying on hieroglyphics.

Jesse had only a brief moment before he was under the water, the collar of his shirt held as he was pulled toward Genji. His eyes almost shining with anger. He said something that sounded more like a growl and even though Jesse couldn’t understand him he knew the sentiment was “You gotta lot of nerve to be here.” He simply handed him the slip of paper, his eyes not leaving the merman’s. His heart was hammering in his chest, the fact he couldn’t breathe to calm his nerves made this all the more difficult. Genji looked at it questioningly before taking it with one hand.

Immediately his expression softened. He let Jesse go, and like he did with Hanzo he immediately swam up and gulped air. Another thing he needed was better lungs. Maybe he should follow Angela’s suggestion and quit smoking.

He pulled himself up, so he was relying on the turned over boat to float mostly to save energy. His breathing was almost regular when Genji popped up, pointing to Jesse’s crude drawing of the shell necklace and then pointed to his neck in question.

_Are you wearing it?_

Jesse shook his head and pointed to Hanzo on his drawing. Genji facepalmed and pointed to Jesse’s drawing of Hanzo and then the one of Jesse. Jesse simple looked at him confused. Genji sighed and held his hands out as if trying to grab an idea of how to explain to Jesse what the necklace signaled to their people. He knew that humans did something similar with rings, but there was no way for him to describe this to Jesse. He looked at his hands and paused, there was one way.

He held up his right hand. “Hanzo,” he said looking straight into Jesse’s eye. He held up his left hand. “Jesse.” He then put his hands together. Jesse furrowed his brow. There was something else he had to add. Still, how dense was this human?

He made a smacking noise with his mouth. This only served to make Jesse more confused. Genji repeated the naming process with his hands and put them together and made the noise again. Finally, recognition shined in Jesse’s eyes. Genji nodded and pointed to the necklace drawing and repeated the gesture one last time to tie it to the object.

Jesse’s cheeks warmed under his skin. Genji put his hand on Jesse’s shoulder. “Jesse?” He said to gain his attention and held out his hands. He named them one last time ant then held his hands out as if asking Jesse to finish the gesture. Jesse moved to put his hands over Genji’s hands and hesitated before putting them together.

Genji shook his head reading Jesse’s face before pointing to the mainland. “Hanzo,” He said. Jesse followed where he was pointing and shook his head. There was no way Hanzo still felt that way. After all of this, Jesse wouldn’t like him either.

Genji groaned and leaned his head back. He held up his hands, his fingers resting on his thumb as if imitating a mouth. “Jesse,” he said making the “mouth” move and made nonsense noise. He called his other hand Hanzo and repeated the nonsense, as if imitating Jesse and Hanzo’s voices.

_Talk to him._

Jesse still looked unsure. Hanzo was likely to simply ignore him and turn away. He needed him to look at him in order to get his point across and to ask if he felt the same toward him. Besides, would he even understand? Jesse had a hard time understanding Genji’s gestures.

Maybe…

“Genji!” He said as his eyes widened at his idea. Genji turned toward him as Jesse pointed to the drawing of the necklace and then at Hanzo. Genji’s eyes widened as he saw what he was proposing. A wide smile spread across his face as he nodded.

If he couldn’t tell Hanzo how he felt using words, or a conventional human way. He would tell him in a way that he knew that Hanzo understood. Hopefully just saying Genji’s name would be enough for Jesse to get the message across that the merman told him what the necklace meant and how important it was. It also would hopefully show Hanzo that he wasn’t against him in the slightest and earn the trust he had lost.

He didn’t know the entire tradition, but he knew the sentiment, and there was only so much that Genji could explain using gestures and drawings. A part of him wished he had taken the time to investigate the necklace and how it was put together. He really hoped that Genji would be honest about his help, and make sure Jesse doesn’t make the situation worse. Ultimately, he wanted to get Hanzo out of the tank, if he never saw them again he’d be okay with that.

Genji disappeared and flipped the boat over so Jesse could get back in. He pointed to the shore and looked at the water. He slipped under the surface as Jesse awkwardly got back into the dingy and slowly started paddling back to the shore as Genji made trips to dump things into the boat for Jesse’s confession necklace.

There was one trip that caused Jesse to pause, letting the boat coast a little as he picked up something that Genji had thrown at his feet. Blue sea glass. It reminded him so much of Hanzo. This was the same color as his scales, and the way it was reflecting from the sea was absolutely breathtaking, just like Hanzo himself. He had to include this into the necklace. If he could, it would _be_ the necklace.


	9. Chapter 9

Hanzo held the necklace as he laid on the bottom of the tank, not paying much attention to who walked in and out of the room. If they tried to get his attention he quickly turned aggressive and took a swipe at them to get the message across that he wasn’t to be bothered.

Jesse kept the necklace.

Not only that but he was wearing it. If he had simply came to return it, he would’ve had it in his pocket or something. Not around his neck. Did this mean he returned his feelings? Probably not, he doubted that he even knew the significance of the necklace. Giving it to him was wishful thinking to begin with. He closed his hand around the necklace and curled into the fetal position.

The door opened and closed almost without a sound, something that only Jesse thus far had done. Hanzo made no move to move from his position on the bottom of the tank, not even opening his eyes to see the reflection of who walked in. There was movement, but nothing that really required his attention. He just wanted to be left alone, was that too much to ask?

Then, there were ripples in the surface. Whoever was there was invading his territory. Hanzo shot up and stopped short as Jesse stiffened, looking at Hanzo. The merman sighed and looked down almost turning to return to his moping at the bottom of the tank.

Jesse reached forward and lightly touched his arm, drawing his attention to the human. Jesse held out his hand and pressed something in Hanzo’s palm. He let himself float away to grab a breath of air, giving Hanzo time to pull his hand closer to him and look at what was in his hand.

Immediately Hanzo knew that it was something containing shells, a lot of them from the feel of it. Opening his hand confirmed this. Various shells of many different colors were strung together. In the center of the necklace was a cut piece of sea glass. Hanzo’s shoulders fell as the scent of the ocean fell over him. He had help, but who? Genji? Jesse did have the opportunity to tell him, and he didn’t seem to be injured.

He looked up and saw that Jesse had mostly pulled himself out of the water, only his feet remained in. Hanzo closed his fist around the necklace and took a pitstop to the bottom to retrieve the necklace he had made before surfacing, holding it out to Jesse.

The hunter took it and slipped it around his neck. He reached out his hand toward the merman. Hanzo slowly laid his hand within his. “Hanzo,” Jesse said pointing toward Hanzo’s hand. “Jesse.” He then pointed to his own hand and put their hands together. The merman narrowed his eyes in thought before understanding.

“Hanzo, Jesse,” Hanzo repeated as he put his other hand around Jesse’s. He looked up at him before taking his hand away and slipped the shell necklace over his head. A bright wide smile spread across Jesse’s face. He pushed himself closer to the edge of the pool. Hanzo moved so that he could get back into the water. Jesse wrapped his arms around Hanzo’s shoulders as the merman held his waist.

Their foreheads pressed together like that moment they shared in the case not too long ago. Hanzo reached up and gently caressed Jesse’s cheek, running his hands through his hair and beard. He really hoped that Jesse understood what he had done. He wasn’t the most comfortable, but maybe if the time they shared wasn’t fake there was hope.

It was Jesse who moved forward. Using his nose he urged Hanzo to lift his head and gently pressed a kiss to his lips. Hanzo’s body reacted before he did, returning the kiss. The kiss wasn’t ideal, but it was confirming all of the questions both had on where the other’s feelings laid. There were in fact feelings between the two of them.

When the kiss broke they looked in each other’s eyes. Jesse had a dopey smile on his face. Hanzo rolled his eyes and smiled at Jesse before he splashed him jokingly. Jesse chuckled in response and relaxed within his arms. His expression softened looking at the other man. They shared another small kiss.

“You have no idea how long I have been wanting to do this,” Hanzo mumbled under his breath. “You were breathtaking from the moment I saw you.” Jesse’s heart skipped a beat as he looked down bashfully. He then paused for a moment and looked at Hanzo, his expression nothing but shock.

“Hanzo, I understood you,” he mumbled looking at him. Hanzo’s expression changed into one that mirrored his; shock and awe. Jesse’s expression changed to one of pure happiness “And you can understand me! Holy shit Han. I can’t wait to tell ya all that I’ve wanted to tell ya. How are we doin’ this?”

“I don’t know...” Hanzo said shaking his head. Jesse turned toward the door.

“Look we can talk later, let’s go.”

“Go?”

“I am kind of sneaking out with ya, bringin’ ya back to Genji.” Hanzo paused and looked at Jesse and then looked at the tank and back at Jesse.

“How?”

“I have a friend outside of the buildin’ with a small tank. It won’t be comfortable, but it’ll work for getting’ ya back to the water.” Hanzo hesitated.

His heart started beating in his chest as he looked at the water around him. He then picked up the necklace he was wearing and looked at the sea glass that he had used. He wanted nothing more than to be out of this tank, but he finally was able to tell Jesse how he felt. However, not knowing what was going to happen to him there, was more unnerving. He at least knew what to expect under the glassy surface of the sea.

“Will I see you again?” Hanzo found himself asking when he went to agree. Jesse looked at him confused. “I need to know Jesse, will we see each other again?”

“I sure hope so. Ain’t every day I get to kiss a merman.” Hanzo let the thought pass over him before he smiled and nodded once. “Either way, let’s not worry ‘bout that now, we gotta get you back home.” Jesse held his hands and turned toward the door. “Fareeha, let’s go.” Hanzo dipped under the water as the hunter pulled himself out and walked to the door.

A second person walked in pushing a tub on wheels. It was as if the spell that was on them wore off, or it was the fact the two of them were in the air and Hanzo was under the water, he was having a difficult time understanding what was going on. He heard his name a few times, and the newcomer knelt in front of the glass and watched him as Hanzo pushed to the back of the tank.

“Hey, he is none too friendly, let’s just get him out, you said it yourself Ana is only gonna be buggin’ Reyes for so long,” Jesse said putting his hand on his hips as he looked at the tank and the tub. “How are we gonna get him in? Hey Han, can you pull yourself up and I’ll catch you?” Hanzo simply looked at Jesse with a scowl. “Hey I am stronger than I look” Hanzo gestured toward his tail and frowned. “Riiiight.” Hanzo rolled his eyes and looked at the newcomer who simply shrugged at him as if she was used to how Jesse was.

He still moved to the ladder and looked around trying to figure out a better way. There must be a ramp or something that got him in there, surely they didn’t just dump him in, that would be dangerous, and they’d hurt him. They could also break the tank. They exactly weren’t being subtle to begin with. Jesse shrugged.

“Han move,” he said pulling a gun out and shot it at an angle to the floor as to minimize the damage.

“What the fuck?!” Fareeha yelled as Hanzo glared at him as well.

“You could’ve killed me! I thought this was a rescue mission!” Hanzo yelled at the same time. Jesse just shrugged.

“I never said this was a conventional knight in shining armor.” He shrugged as he holstered the gun.


	10. Chapter 10

The tub was a very bumpy ride, it didn’t help that Jesse had to slow down suddenly in the pursuit to freedom. If Hanzo felt like he had room to complain, he would. However, seeing how he was completely at the mercy of Jesse and it was a high-pressure situation so the least he could do is at the very least act calm, even when being shaken, not stirred.  

Still, he was surprised that they had managed to get through the building and the city and if the jostling of the tub was any indication of how close to the sea they were, they must be close. The ride went from a bunch of quick vibrations that though were annoying were manageable, to Hanzo fearing for his life because he was on a soft surface, like sand.

The air started smelling like fresh salt water, not the stale filtered water that was a poor excuse for livable water. He started getting excited, to the point where he did want to move his hair that had long since fallen in front of his face and lean forward in the tub so that they would actually get there faster.

Then he faceplanted into the sand.

“Jesse? What happen-“ his voice trailed off as he moved his hair and looked at the boots in the sand. Slowly, he looked up and saw the darker bearded man who had caught him in the first place. “Oh…”

“’Oh’ is right” Jesse whispered quietly in response. The man’s eyebrow twitched as he looked up calmly to Jesse.

“Oh this is good,” he said with a scoff.

“Reyes, step off. He ain’t gonna do anything again.” Jesse crossed his arms. “Sides, you done made me spill all the water and ya know he kind of needs it.” He nodded toward Hanzo and waited for a second before this “Reyes” character rolled his eyes and nodded toward the ocean.

“Only because this would be a lot of paperwork.” Jesse rolled his eyes as he knelt and pulled Hanzo on his back to ride piggy back. “And you clearly kissed him.” Jesse took one step before stopping.

“What makes you say that?”

“You repeated what he said, only someone who has kissed a merperson can understand them so easily.”

“How did you-?”

“Morrison was a merperson at one point, until Ana came up with a solution. Now, go.” Jesse didn’t need to be told twice as he rushed forward and once he was knee high in the water finally let Hanzo down. “Not only that, but the necklaces.” Jesse’s cheeks dusted pink as he put his hand over the necklace. Hanzo smiled.

“He’s smart,” Hanzo mumbled with a smirk.

“Are you forgetting we’re in danger?”

“I am in the water now, just stay close.” He was up to something, and he had a look that said that if he was on the land, it wasn’t going to end well. Seeing how a kiss managed to get them on the same page when it came to languages, anything else would be secondary for him. A flash of green was seen over near the rocks. At least Genji was a witness that Jesse was really trying to do the right thing. Taking a deep breath, he took hold of Hanzo’s hand and turned around.

“So, what are you gonna do about this?” Jesse asked looked at Reyes who looked calm at the two of them, not nearly as pissed off as he was previously. Something changed, and Jesse knew it took more than seeing the two of them to do that.

“Not sure to be honest,” Reyes said looking at his nails. “I am debating getting on your myself, or let the sea take care of you.” Hanzo stiffened at the mentioning of the sea. Jesse looked at him for a brief second before looking back at Reyes.

“What do you mean?” He asked slowly as Hanzo turned around.

“He means me,” came a completely new voice. Jesse immediately straightened his back and ever so slowly turned around. Genji was being half-dragged by a violet merman looking very sheepish like he was just caught wit his hand in the cookie jar. Jesse immediately understood the situation. It was either get in trouble with Reyes or get in trouble with Hanzo’s dad.

“Hanzo, when were you going to tell me about your human friend?” he asked. Jesse knew he had no place to talk, but man did he want to. He lightly squeezed Hanzo’s hand in support.

“He isn’t a friend father,” Hanzo said confidently though his voice wavered slightly. The merman sighed and shook his head.

“There goes the family,” he muttered.

“Excuse me?” Jesse asked looking at Hanzo and Genji. “Mind filling me in?”

Hanzo let his shoulders fall and he looked at the sand under him. He drew in the sand with his finger a little, obviously trying to find just the right words to explain why they ever in this situation to begin with, much he really hoped that Jesse wouldn’t take back everything.

“Hanzo?”

Hanzo took a deep breath and looked up at Jesse. “Everything happened because I wanted to avoid my responsibility. I was due to inherit the throne; however, I can only do that if I got married. I didn’t want to, and so I decided to take things into my own hands. I started taking men I found attractive in hopes that I could avoid this fate, no matter what it lead to. I am guessing you were sent to stop me, no matter the cost. Now, we’re at an impasse. Reyes wants me dead, my father wants you.”

Jesse looked at Hanzo and then at the new merman. “What do I have to do to save us both?”

“Do you not know what an impasse is?” Genji asked. “First the necklaces, and now vocabulary, you know how to pick ‘em Hanzo.”

“I ain’t too keen on diein’ and I am as much against Hanzo goin’ through the same fate as well so I need a scenario where we both survive.” Hanzo looked at him and the merman sighed and rolled his eyes.

“You can’t charm yourself out of every situation hunter.”

“I wasn’t trying! I was trying to bargain.”

“Ha! Good luck,” Genji called.

“Look, all I am sayin’ is that there is a win-win situation here. We want men to stop goin’ missin’ and your dad wants you to have a right-hand man. Together, we can bridge this whole situation together an’ be a big ol’ dysfunctional family. What ya loose in grandkids, ya gain in resources.”

There was a pause as everyone stopped and looked at Jesse. He actually had a good point. There was one thing they were losing, but they were gaining so much more. The first human, merpeople trade system, that was a lot more gained. Sure they had their own way of living that they were perfectly adapted to, but there were still resources they stole from old ships, rope being the number one thing. Imagine how their people would prosper.

“So what do ya say, Mr Hanzo’s dad you in?” Jesse held out his hand. He didn’t even both asking Reyes knowing full well that if he managed to pull this off, it was going to be a testament to himself more than anything and he’d have no choice but to follow his lead.

There was a sigh as the merman made his decision.

\---

Waves crashed against the shore as Jesse sat on the edge of the pier. His pants were rolled up to his knees as he was kicking his feet, his big toe just scraping the surface of the water. He was wearing an open shirt, the loose fabric was billowing in the wind as a cool sea breeze made goosebumps pop up over his skin.

There was some squealing of children both on the sand and in the water splashing about exchanging treasures and talking about their everyday life. To think that seeing things like this would’ve never happened if he hadn’t met Hanzo.

Speaking of, where was he? The hunters were supposed to be back by now. He was sitting on baskets of herbs and such that he was asked to retrieve. Not only did they have to live up to their deal, but he also really missed him. He groaned and was about to lay back when he was pulled under the water.

A small yelp was heard from Jesse before he was engulfed in a pair of strong arms. A smile immediately spread across his face as ink-like black hair obscured his vision. Somehow, they found their way through that mass and found each other’s lips. They shared a brief kiss before surfacing.

“Han!” Jesse cheered happily before he hugged him tight. “How was your day?” Hanzo sighed and laid his head on Jesse’s shoulder as he pushed his hair away.

“Boring, but we have a lot to trade.”

“Us too. But enough about work, let’s talk about date night!” Hanzo chuckled and shook his head lightly.

“Is that all you think about? Woo-ing me even though I have been thoroughly courted?”

“It’s never too late to try to make you fall in love with me all over again.”

**Author's Note:**

> I am done! This is what I disappeared from the McHanzo page for. That and a _horrible_ case of writer's block. Like, you can probably tell where it hit as you read this, and I am so sorry! 
> 
> Either way, I'd like to thank Marta for their wonderful art! If you want to follow them their tumblr is [ here.](http://insert-random-text.tumblr.com/) I included it at the beginning since it was basically the first chapter that the scene happened in. [To be added]
> 
> If you want to follow me more, and see all my ramblings and stuff you can follow me on [ my art blog,](http://www.caliginous-arts.tumblr.com)


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